1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing technique for performing image processing on an image obtained by photography.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital cameras that generate image data according to photography using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD (charge coupled device) and record the image data on a memory card are coming into wide-spread use.
Patent Document 1, which discloses a video information processing apparatus, has objects of realizing a camera that is capable of easily realizing rearrangement of generated video, realizing a camera that records video with information about the video multiplexed therewith, realizing a camera that has a function of conveying the will of a subject without notifying people around him/her of it (i.e., the will of the subject), and realizing a camera that is capable of easily confirming that a desired subject reliably falls within a captured image. To this end, the video information processing apparatus receives input of video, stores identification information corresponding to a blinking pattern of a light source, converts the identification information to identification information corresponding to the blinking pattern of the light source blinking in the input video, and outputs the converted identification information together with the input video.
Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a camera that enables a setting of permission or prohibition of photography to be made easily and reliably, and that further has a photography permission function that enables a charge to be made according to the value of the subject. According to this technique, a photography permission signal specified by code is transmitted to a transmitter/receiver provided in a vicinity of the subject whose charge is individually set. Once the photography permission signal which is sent back by the transmitter/receiver is received, a shutter control means allows a shutter to operate to take a picture. When a contract is made or after the photograph is taken, the photograph is charged for according to data stored in a storage means. This effectively prevents a subject other than a subject which is allowed to be photographed in advance from being photographed.
Patent Document 3 discloses an information processing apparatus that can easily and effectively embed predetermined information for protecting the copyright, etc., of the objective information of digital watermarking, etc., in the objective information without deterioration of the objective information. According to this technique, at the time of recording the predetermined information for protecting the copyright of the objective information (photographic image) generated based on a photographing operation from the user (photographer), a recording means acquires bio-information on the user and, when the bio-information is already registered, records user information related to the bio-information in the objective information as the predetermined information at the time of registering the objective information.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-320702.
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-182275.
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-204427.